Sacramento Man Sentenced on Child Porn Charges

A Sacramento man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for trying to lure a minor to engage in sexual acts through a Craigslist personal ad.

The 35-year-old also admitted to communicating with a minor from Davis, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Eric G. Lowe posted a Craigslist ad about a year ago looking for someone “to have a daddy/daughter incest relationship,” according to the release. An undercover Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department detective responded as “13-year-old Amy.” Lowe attempted to entice “Amy” to meet him to engage in sexual acts, according to the release.

The full release from the U.S. Department of Justice is below:

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that Eric G. Lowe, 35, of Sacramento, California, was sentenced today to 120 months imprisonment and a 10-year term of supervised release for using the internet in an attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual acts.  As a result of his conviction, the defendant will also be required to register as a sex offender following his release from prison.

According to documents filed in court, On April 14, 2012, the defendant posted a Craigslist advertisement seeking someone who looked young with whom “to have a Daddy/Daughter incest relationship.”  An undercover detective from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department responded to the advertisement through email, posing as a 13-year-old girl.  The defendant attempted to induce, entice, and coerce “Amy” into meeting with him, asking when “Amy’s” mother would be away from her house, and where the defendant and Amy could go to have sex.  The defendant also asked “Amy” to recruit one of her friends to participate in sexual conduct.

A search warrant was obtained to seize and search the defendant’s computer for evidence of the attempted enticement of “Amy.”  The defendant admitted to communicating with “Amy,” as well as a minor in Davis, California.  The defendant also said that he had a sexual preference for 9 year olds, and admitted to using a file-sharing service to download and view child pornography.  The defendant admitted to sexually molesting a prepubescent girl.

On January 15, 2013, the defendant pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b).

This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.  The Sacramento ICAC is a federally and state funded task force managed by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department comprised of agents from federal, state, and local agencies.  The purpose of the Sacramento ICAC is to investigate online child exploitation crimes, including child pornography, enticement, and sex trafficking.  Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon prosecuted the case. 

This prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s ongoing Project Safe Childhood initiative which was launched to increase federal prosecutions of sexual predators of children, and to reduce the number of Internet crimes against children including child pornography trafficking. As a part of PSC, the United States Attorney’s Office has teamed with state and local agencies and organizations to increase law enforcement presence on the Internet, and to educate the public about safe Internet use, thereby reducing the risk that children might fall prey to online sexual predators. For additional information on the PSC initiative, please go to www.projectsafechildhood.govor call the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California and ask to speak with the PSC coordinator.